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'One MLA, One Pension' scheme cleared by Guv, Mann says 'will save lot of tax'
With the scheme, the AAP government in Punjab eyes saving of crores by ensuring only one payout to a legislator.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said that the ‘One MLA, One Pension’ scheme has been cleared by Governor Banwarilal Purohit. With the scheme, the AAP government aims to save crores.
“It makes me tremendously happy that the Governor has cleared the ‘One MLA, One Pension bill’. The government has issued a notification. This will save a lot of tax,” Mann said in a tweet. The update comes about three months after the state cabinet had cleared the bill.
The new scheme aims to remove payouts based on the number of terms served by an MLA. HT had earlier reported that government eyes a saving of ₹19 crore with this.
Before this, the MLAs received separate payouts for each term they had served, which changes with the Governor’s go-ahead.
In May, the Punjab cabinet had approved an amendment to the Punjab State Legislature Members (Pension and Medical Facilities Regulation) Act, 1977 in a step forward to meet a long-standing demand. The Punjab Assembly had passed amendment bill on June 30.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which was elected with a huge mandate in the February-March state elections, had said it would not let the VIP culture flourish.
Earlier, it had downgraded the security of hundreds of VIPs. However, the move was heavily criticized with Congress leader and singer Sidhu Moosewala’s death.
The AAP government's move in Punjab comes at a time when the party is locked in a bitter standoff with the BJP over the culture of freebies, dubbed as “revris” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the launch of a mega project in Uttar Pradesh in July.
